Smith



May 3, 1955 A. SMITH 2,707,564

DEVICE FOR HOLDING AND STORING HATS Filed Feb. 4, 1954 Ca; INVENTOR. & AVerl'll Swill ,0

ATTD RN EYS \Y\ I v if Iii: :Iiiiililitiif j u h I l K Q eh Q United States Patent DEVICE FOR HQLDING AND STORING HATS Averill Smith, Oklahoma City, Okla.

Application February 4, 1954, Serial No. 408,104

3 Claims. (Cl. 211-32) This invention relates to a hat holding and storing device.

The object of the invention is to provide a mechanism for supporting or holding a plurality of hats such as womens hats, in a closet whereby the hats can be conveniently stored or supported in a minimum of space and without damage to the hats.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device for holding and storing hats in the upper part of a closet such as the closet of a home and wherein the device can be mounted high enough on the wall or other part of i the closet so that it can be above head level and wherein the device can be lowered when a hat is to be removed or replaced so as to insure that the hats are easily accessible.

A further object of the invention is to provide a hat holding and storing device which is extremely simple and inexpensive to manufacture.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent during the course of the following descriptions.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this application, and in which like numerals are used to vdesignate like parts throughout the same:

Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view taken through the hat holding device of the present invention.

Figure 2 is a front elevational view of the hat holding device.

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 3 but showing the spring finger engaging one of the openings for maintaining the channel member immobile in its adjusted positions.

Figure 5 is a sectional view taken on the line 55 of Figure 1.

Figure 6 is a perspective view of a modified hat holding device which is stationary.

Figure 7 is a sectional view of another modification.

Referring in detail to the drawings, the numeral 10 designates the hat holding and storing device of the present invention which can be made of any suitable material such as sheet metal, and the device of the present invention may be attached to beams or boards 11 by suitable securing elements such as the nails 14. These nails 14 may also extend into the wall 12 of the closet or the like.

The device of the present invention includes a base 15, Figures 2 and 5, and the base 15 includes a pair of spaced parallel side walls 16 and a back wall 17 which has the securing elements such as the nails 14 extending therethrough. A longitudinally extending inwardly projecting flange 18 extends inwardly from each edge of the side wall 16.

Slidably mounted in the base 15 is a channel member 19 which includes a web 20. Extending from the longitudinal side edges of the web 20 is a pair of spaced parallel side sections 21, and extending inwardly from the inner edge of each of the side sections 21 is an ear 22. The pair of ears 22 are arranged contiguous to the web ice 17. The flanges 18 maintain the channel member 19 within the base 15.

The web 20 of the channel member 19 has a plurality of struck-out brackets 23. These brackets 23 serve to detachably receive lugs 25 on the lower end of stems 24. The lugs 25 are arranged angularly with respect to the major portion of the stems 24, and the stems 24 extend upwardly away from the channel member 19, the stems 24 being arranged in spaced parallel relation with respect to each other. A portion of the upper end of each of the stems 24 is also arranged angularly to define a lug 26, Figure l. The lug 26 detachably engages a clamp 28 which is secured to or formed integral with a disc 27. One of the discs 27 is provided for each of the stems 24, and a suitable pad 29 may be secured to each disc 27 in any suitable manner, as for example by adhesive or glue. The yieldable pad 29 can be made of any suitable material such as sponge rubber or foam rubber and these pads 29 are adapted to each support a hat such as a womans hat 30 shown in Figure 6. By means of these detachable connections, the parts can be disassembled when they are not being used so that they could be stored in a minimum amount of space.

Slidably mounted on each stem 24 is a ring 31, and attached to each ring 31 is a flexible sheet 32 which may be made of a suitable plastic or the like. The sheet 32 is adapted to provide a covering for the hat 30 being supported on the pad 29 and the sheet 32 will protect and cover the hat from dirt, foreign matter or the like. When the sheet 32 is to be used the ring 31 can be slid or moved upwardly from the position shown in Figure l to a position contiguous to the pad 29 so that the sheet 32 will reach or cover the hat being supported.

A locking means is provided for maintaining the channel member 19 immobile in its various adjusted positions. This locking means comprises a spring member 34 which includes a shank 35 that has a shoulder 36 formed therein, Figures 1 and 4. The shoulder 36 is arranged in engagement withan opening below a strap 37 which is struck-out from the back wall 17 of the base i5. Arranged on one end of the spring member 34 is a clip 38 which engages a support member 39 that is struckout from the back wall 17. Thus, the parts 36 through 39 maintain the spring member 34 immobile or firmly secured in place to the stationary base 15. The other end of the spring member 34 is shaped to provide a spring finger 40 which is adapted to engage or project through one of the openings 33 in the channel member 19 as shown in Figure 4 so as to prevent accidental movement of the channel member from its adjusted positions. However, the spring finger 40 can be readily manually pushed inward out of registry with the opening 33 when the channel member 19 is to be shifted to a new position.

Referring to Figure 6 of the drawings there is shown a modified support for hats such as the hats 30, and this device includes a stationary base 41 that is provided with openings 42 and 43 whereby suitable securing elements such as nails can be extended through these openings and into engagement with a wall such as the wall of a closet. The base 41 is further provided with struck-out brackets 44, and a plurality of stems 45 each has a bent lug 46 for engaging the brackets 44. A disc 47 may be detachably connected to the upper end of each of the stems 45, and a yieldable pad 48 may be secured to each disc 47. A ring 49 is slidably mounted on each stem 45, and the ring 49 carries a sheet 50 of flexible material such as plastic which is used to protect and cover the hat such as the hat 30 being supported on the pad 48.

From the foregoing it is apparent that there has been provided a device for holding and storing hats such as the hats 30 so that the hats can be stored in the upper part of a closet. The device can be arranged so that its stationary base 15 is high enough on the wall 12 or wainscoting so that it will be above head level. However, the sliding channel member 19 can be lowered when desired so that the hats are readily accessible. The spring finger 49 projects through one of the openings 33 to maintain the channel member 19 immobile in its adjusted positions, and when the channel member 19 is to be raised or lowered it is only necessary to manually push the spring finger 40 in so that it moves out of engagement with the opening 33 whereby the channel member 19 can be shifted in the base 15. The various parts are detachably connected together so that when the device is being shipped or stored it will occupy a minimum amount of space. The base 15 acts as a guide and mounting member since it is secured to the stationary support. The channel member 19 can be slid downwardly in the base so that the hats can be reached when they are to be removed or replaced. The stems 24 are arranged angularly as shown in the drawings and the plastic covering 50 or 32 acts as a cover to protect the hats from dust and the like. The rubber pads 29 provide a support for the hats so that the hats will not slip and wherein the hats will not be damaged.

In Figure 6 there is shown a modified hat holding and storing device which is adapted to support two hats and this device is permanently secured at the desired location.

In Figure 7, there is shown another modification wherein a stem 24 is connected to a web 20' by screws or bolts 25.

The struck out design will facilitate packaging and save labor in production, but the same assembly can be made with screws or rivets, as shown in Fig. 7.

I claim:

1. In a holding and supporting device, a base adapted to be secured to a supporting structure and including a back wall, a pair of spaced parallel side walls, and a flange extending inwardly from the longitudinal edge of each side wall, a channel member slidably mounted in said base and including a web, a pair of spaced parallel side sections extending from said web and arranged contiguous to the inner surface of said side walls, a longitudinally extending ear extending inwardly from the inner edge of each side section and arranged contiguous to said back wall, a plurality of stems detachably connected to said channel member, said stems adapted to support hats thereon, each of said stems having its ends extending angularly with respect to the major portion of said stem to define an upper and lower lug, a plurality of struckout brackets on said web for detachably receiving said lugs, a disc provided with a struck-out clamp on its lower surface for detachably receiving said upper lug, a resilient pad secured to the upper surface of said disc, a ring slidably mounted on each stem, a protective flexible sheet carried by each ring for covering and protecting the article on said pad, means for maintaining said channel member immobile in its adjusted positions, said means comprising a spring member secured to said back wall and including a shank provided with a shoulder, a strap struck-out from said back wall and defining an opening for receiving said shoulder, a clip on one end of said shank, a support member struck-out from said back wall and engaged by said clip, a spring finger on the other end of said shank, there being a plurality of openings in said web for receiving said spring finger.

2. A hat support comprising a base adapted to be secured to a supporting structure, a plurality of struck-out brackets extending from said base, a plurality of inclined spaced parallel stems each having their lower ends detachably engaging said brackets, a disc detachably connected to the upper end of each stem, a resilient pad secured to each disc, a ring slidably mounted on each stem, and a flexible protective sheet carried by each ring.

3. A hat support comprising a base adapted to be secured to a supporting structure, a plurality of brackets extending from said base, a plurality of stems each detachably engaging said brackets, a disc detachably connected to each stem, a resilient pad secured to each disc, a ring slidably mounted on each stem, and a flexible protective sheet carried by each ring.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

